Tips and advices for creating your own workshop
You want to start the change yourself? You want to get work with your youth group on social and political demands? You are interested in organizing a workshop for active youth?
Thinking about creating a workshop which lasts several days for young people, can be difficult and overwhelming. In this session, we offer you some tips and advices for the organization of you own project and your own workshop with young people.
Practical tips for a 5-days workshop
First of all, think of the goal of your workshop and your target group. What would you like to achieve and for whom should it be organized? What is the goal and what are the needs of the young people you want to work with? Set a goal with your event and clarify your target group.
Make sure to take care of the framework of your event. Often, we forget about how important the setting and the location of a workshop is. Young people have to feel safe and comfortable in order to be creative and work well in a group. Be sure to provide fruits and coffee for the break and good and healthy food for lunch. Keep in mind that youngsters can have different diets and allergy, thus make sure to ask this in advance and organize the meals accordingly.
The rooms you are working in, can determine the motivation of the group. Try to find light and big rooms, in order to have enough space also for groupwork and creative methods like theater, dance etc. Consider to do parts of the workshop outdoors if the weather allows it.
Always make sure to plan for enough breaks, after 1,5 hours most people need a break to feel fresh again. Also consider that everything takes a long time in big groups, so don’t plan the schedule too tight.
It is crucial to create a safe space for the young people and to agree upon common guidelines at the beginning. Let them think of rules, they want to agree on and make sure that everyone respects them. In order to start the day in a good way and also to keep up the motivation after breaks think of introducing an energizer (a small game to wake up, to loosen up the body, to bring some smiles on the faces, …)
Plan enough time for feedback sessions and evaluation practices as it is important to involve the voices of the youth in the design of a workshops. Make sure to provide different possibilities to collect their opinion and ideas on methods used and the event in general.
Make sure to provide an insurance option for all the participants. Accidents can always happen and it is important as organization to clarify responsibilities beforehand. Make sure to check the legal guidelines of your national context and act accordingly to your organization.
If you want to engage with decision makers make sure to contact them quite early, since their schedules are usually well-packed. Don’t hesitate to involve them when working with young people about political demands: politicians are elected in order to hear the citizens’ demands. It is the right of the young generation to also have their say with them.
Interested in organizing a political art workshop yourself?
If you want to engage with decision makers make sure to contact them quite early, since their schedules are usually well-packed. Don’t hesitate to involve them when working with young people about political demands: politicians are elected in order to hear the citizens’ demands. It is the right of the young generation to also have their say with them.
Practical tips for a 5-days workshop
First of all, think of the goal of your workshop and your target group. What would you like to achieve and for whom should it be organized? What is the goal and what are the needs of the young people you want to work with? Set a goal with your event and clarify your target group.
Make sure to take care of the framework of your event. Often, we forget about how important the setting and the location of a workshop is. Young people have to feel safe and comfortable in order to be creative and work well in a group. Be sure to provide fruits and coffee for the break and good and healthy food for lunch. Keep in mind that youngsters can have different diets and allergy, thus make sure to ask this in advance and organize the meals accordingly.
The rooms you are working in, can determine the motivation of the group. Try to find light and big rooms, in order to have enough space also for groupwork and creative methods like theater, dance etc. Consider to do parts of the workshop outdoors if the weather allows it.
Always make sure to plan for enough breaks, after 1,5 hours most people need a break to feel fresh again. Also consider that everything takes a long time in big groups, so don’t plan the schedule too tight.
It is crucial to create a safe space for the young people and to agree upon common guidelines at the beginning. Let them think of rules, they want to agree on and make sure that everyone respects them. In order to start the day in a good way and also to keep up the motivation after breaks think of introducing an energizer (a small game to wake up, to loosen up the body, to bring some smiles on the faces, …)
Plan enough time for feedback sessions and evaluation practices as it is important to involve the voices of the youth in the design of a workshops. Make sure to provide different possibilities to collect their opinion and ideas on methods used and the event in general.
Make sure to provide an insurance option for all the participants. Accidents can always happen and it is important as organization to clarify responsibilities beforehand. Make sure to check the legal guidelines of your national context and act accordingly to your organization.
If you want to engage with decision makers make sure to contact them quite early, since their schedules are usually well-packed. Don’t hesitate to involve them when working with young people about political demands: politicians are elected in order to hear the citizens’ demands. It is the right of the young generation to also have their say with them.
Interested in organizing a political art workshop yourself?
If you want to engage with decision makers make sure to contact them quite early, since their schedules are usually well-packed. Don’t hesitate to involve them when working with young people about political demands: politicians are elected in order to hear the citizens’ demands. It is the right of the young generation to also have their say with them.